Operators of mobile networks provide voice service and/or data service, including service to users of mobile telephones or mobile computing devices. Voice and data service may be provided by a radio access node (also “radio,” “node,” or “RAN”), such as a radio that provides coverage for an area of the mobile network. The radio provides service to users of the mobile network, such as to a geographical region or to a portion of the user population. Users may travel in and out of the coverage area of the radio while using their mobile devices, and users may choose to access different services via the radio. These circumstances may lead to constantly changing demands (also, “load”)on the radio's capacity. In addition, the changing load of the radio may follow a cyclical pattern, such as a pattern of peak demand during certain times of day. It is desirable to provide a consistently high level of service to users of the radio.
An installed radio provides voice and data service for users in an area of the mobile network. Radios may be capable of providing service (also, “carrying traffic”) for users desiring voice service (also, “voice traffic”), users desiring data service (also, “data traffic”), or to both. The capacity of the radio may be determined by the radio's technology type (e.g., meeting the Global System for Mobile Communications (“GSM”) standard or the Long-Term Evolution (“LTE”) standard). The capacity of the radio may also be determined by the radio's technical specifications, age, software or firmware version, or other factors.
Users of mobile devices may expect to have a high level of service regardless of a radio's capacity or pattern of peak demand. One technique to provide a high level of service is to increase the number of radios capable of providing service. However, factors such as geographical features or regulatory requirements may prevent network operators from installing additional radios in certain areas. In addition, installing additional radios may be costly, and if the peak demand periods only occur occasionally (e.g., busy commuting hours, holidays), the additional radios may remain idle much of the time. It is desirable for a mobile network operator to manage services provided by a radio, such as during peak demand periods.
For example, users of mobile communications networks often choose to consume data using their mobile communications devices. The mobile device may connect to a radio and consume (e.g., download and/or upload) data in the form of websites, music, videos, e-books, game information, or any other suitable data types. Different types of data comprise different amounts of data, and may consume a different portion of the capacity of the radio. A user that is watching a video may consume a larger portion of a radio's data bandwidth compared to a user that is sending an email. In addition, multiple users consuming data while connected to the same radio may overburden the capacity of the radio. For example, users waiting at an airport may choose to spend their time watching videos on their mobile devices. At busy times, radios that provide coverage to the airport may be overburdened by a large group of users watching videos, and a user attempting to send an email (such as a traveler needing to be picked up at the airport) may suffer service interruptions. If a mobile network operator manages radio services related to a video data type, the radio's capacity may no longer be overburdened, and services related to a text data type (e.g., the user's email) may be provided without interruption.
Current solutions for reducing data traffic include determining whether a particular mobile device is currently using a large portion of available data bandwidth, and controlling the data rate to that device. However, information regarding data usage is received in periodic intervals (e.g., 1-5 minute intervals), and many data transactions are shorter in length than this interval. A mobile device may have its data rate controlled incorrectly, based on outdated periodic data usage information. In addition, controlling a data rate for a mobile device based on periodic data usage information may control the data rate for all types of data. If a user is attempting to use multiple types of data, controlling all types of data may cause problematic interruptions in service. For example, if a user is accessing a website while a video is playing, controlling all data types may cause interruptions in a financial transaction on the website.
It is desirable for the mobile network operator to determine whether a particular mobile device is likely to access a data type associated with high-bandwidth data consumption. It is further desirable for a mobile network operator to determine whether a data rate for a high-bandwidth data type may be managed, such that data rates for a low-bandwidth data type are not affected.